Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 69 (Patreon)

Arlo instinctively knew when it was day time. As he sat up, the lid of [Void Sanctum] slid off, revealing a blue, bright sky. The sun was behind the wall. It was still cold. Light must have only returned a few seconds ago.

Climbing out of his bed, he stretched. A small groan left his mouth. He felt oddly… happy, despite what he had gone through. Not only that, but all of the aches and pains he had suffered during the few days were washed away. It was as if he had spent the night in a spa, with masseuse’s working all night to repair his muscles.

It felt heavenly. He smiled.

Justin was seated against the wall. He hadn’t moved since the last time he saw him. Although now his eyes were closed.

Arlo quietly crept towards him. He stretched his hands, and–

“You’re about as quiet as a baby rhino learning how to walk,” Justin said, peering one eye open. “Sleep well in that coffin of yours? Wait, don’t tell me, I already know the answer. It’s written on your face.”

Arlo leaned against the well. “Well, apart from the strange glowing markings on the underside of the lid, it was honestly an amazing sleep.”

“Glowing markings?” Justin asked. His eyes scanned the others. Louis and Elian were sleeping next to each-other. Merc was sitting with her massive sword laying against her thighs.

“You are too weak. Grow stronger. Only then will you learn,” Arlo repeated in the same voice as the old man in his thoughts. His shoulders trembled. Damn, all these voices were strange as fuck.

“Learn what?”

“That’s what I’m wondering,” Arlo said. “What could it mean? Any ideas, Lineage?”

Justin’s lips curled. “It seems like your Remembrance has a lingering soul within. It happens from time-to-time. Some of them haunt their hosts. Some can end up helping in other ways. Looks like yours is the latter type.”

“Just feels so strange,” Arlo said. “One moment I was in a doctor's office. The next my mind is under demonic assault. If it’s not that, I’m hearing strange voices all the time. Fighting monsters is one thing.”

“Fucking Spirit World.” Justin laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Arlo said with a wry smile. “Here she comes.”

Arlo and Justin watched as Merc woke up the others.

“Looks like it’s time to move.” Justin stood up and stretched.

“Time to move,” Merc said. Justin and Arlo looked at each other and laughed.

“What?–” Merc was interrupted by the sound of monstrous screeching, growls, and maddeningly quick thuds.

Merc stood at the front with her two-handed sword in hand. Her head spun. She pointed, and said, “Quick. To that passageway.”

Arlo and the others listened and found themselves within one of the passageways. There were 4. One of them was the entrance from where they came.

Arlo peeked around the corner, and into the room. The sounds were getting louder until they emerged from one of the dark paths. It was a stampede. Monsters of all shapes and sizes clambered and stomped over each other. Some had two legs. Some had four legs. Some had blades for arms and some had weapon-like tails. The most common thing they had was their desire to devour. Their eyes snapped Arlo and the others. Arlo stepped back in trepidation. There were at least 20 or 30 of them.

“How the hell do they know we are here?” Arlo shouted.

“I don’t know,” Merc said. “Run!”

She didn’t have to say it twice. The others were already running before she could get the latter half of her sentence out.

Arlo scrambled down the hall with Louis right in front. Louis was now faster than him thanks to the core he received from the scorpion. It was an unsettling notion considering he had received a whole 100 Blood Fragments from the Fallen.

“Move your ass Arlo, or I’m going to pick you up in a princess carry,” Justin said right by his side.

“The hell you are,” Arlo shouted back. He raised his speed, running as fast as his legs could possibly take him.

The monsters gained on them. Those at the lead were the strongest. They smashed into the nearby wall, and chased Arlo, and the others.

“What about now?” Justin chuckled.

“Yes!” Arlo finally agreed.

But it was useless. There was no way in hell they were all outrunning the beasts on their tail. Merc stepped to the side, then bolted at high speed directly for the encroaching beasts.

She’s crazy!

His thoughts were immediately affirmed when her sword glowed bright. She swung it in a savage arc right for a beast that looked like a cross between a tiger and a wolf. Her sword flashed. Arlo almost missed it. The blazed edge tore into the monster's skull, cleaving it in half. It continued through, and into a scraggly hound/crab fusion.

There were no words spoken, yet she had already given her order. Fight.

Elian’s arrows tore into the frontline. They arrived fast. As soon as one struck, another was already following.

Justin kept his hand on the wall. From the walls and floor, black lances emerged, boring holes into whatever ran into them.

Merc leapt back. The other monsters chased after her.

A bull crashed into one of the 6 foot tall hounds, stomped its skull into mush, then rampaged towards Arlo. Oh shit. Nearing, Arlo shot one of his pointed appendages at the beast. To his shock, the tendril pierced through its throat. Blood sprayed. Arlo replied with another lance to its eye.

[You have slain a Tier 3 Beast, Bison.]

| Your blood becomes stronger–

But it was still moving. Arlo pierced the floor with a lance, then pulled. He dodged the rampaging bull. It fell on its face, rolling to a barreling stop.

That wasn’t the only monster aiming for his life. Arlo stopped thinking. His body moved on auto-pilot. He would pierce the creatures in any vital spot he could find. Eye, chest, throat, under-arm… until anything that attacked him stopped moving.

If any monster tried to get close, Merc was there to protect him. If she was busy, a shadowed lance or arrow would take her place. Like a well oiled machine, the quartet killed any monster that got too close. Louis took on whatever weaker monster managed to slip through the gap. One charged at him. It was a smaller, 5 foot hound.

Louis’ lips curled. Arlo shouldn’t have diverted his attention, but he couldn’t help it. He was worried for his friend. They were both new to all of this.

The beast pounced at Louis. Louis stepped back. His knee snapped up at its throat. He shoved his machete Remembrance in between its ribs. It fell to the floor with a thud. Just like that; he had killed it. His movements were effortless and calculated. It was like watching a lineage.

“Arlo!” Justin shouted as a warning.

Arlo focused. His lanced appendage shot up from underneath, skewering the beast's throat, then brain. It was the last one.

[You have slain a Tier 2 Beast, Hound.]

| Your blood becomes stronger.]

Arlo couldn’t help but smirk at the effectiveness of his newly evolved appendages. They were fast, durable, and because they had lost most of their fleshy nature, couldn’t be damaged as easily. Of course, they weren’t as mighty as the previous form. He doubted he could hold back a scorpion's tail with them, but for killing, it was a far better instrument.

Panting for breath, 20 or so monstrous creatures lay in a pool of their own blood.